Life in the Colonies

Comments (0)

Transcript of Life in the Colonies

Crime and PunishmentLife on FarmsFarms: *Work on the farm was hectic. *Cleared the land. *Lived in one room. *Awoke before sunrise each day. *The fireplace is your only source of heat. *Tended to crops, built fences, wove cloth, cooking (could be dangerous), and cleaning.

Life in CitiesCities: *Heart of the city was the waterfront. *Streets were lined with shops. *Noisy, smelly (sewers and garbage). *Houses were close together. *Torches and candles lit homes. *Kept a fire bucket by the front door.

Rights of the Colonists Rights: 1) The colonists wanted the same rights as English citizens; The citizens of England fought long and hard for their rights.

2) Magna Carta in 1215 limited the King’s rights; Parliament, the lawmaking body of England consisted of reps. from the people, was formed in 1265.

ReligionCrime And Punishment: *Most crimes were treated similarly in all colonies. *Harsh crimes like murder and treason were punishable by death. *Lesser crimes like robbery or forgery were punishable by jail time or whipped. *The smallest crimes like working on the Sabbath could be punishable by the stocks.

Class DifferencesClasses: *Class, or a place in society, was largely determined by birth. *Upper Class-Inherited titles, successful businessmen. *Middle Class-Farmers, artisans (owned land/businesses). *Lower Class-Farmhands and other workers (did not own land/businesses). *Lowest-Slaves.Religion: *Puritan church services were on Sunday, lasted long hours, and were held in meetinghouses. *In the 1730’s, the First Great Awakening (a revival of religious feeling) swept through the colonies. *This helped spread the ideas of liberty, equality, and prayer.

Leisure Leisure: *Children had few toys (dolls, marbles, etc.); They played tag, blind man’s bluff, etc. *Adults enjoyed a game similar to backgammon called tick-tick, a game similar to pool called trock. *Quilting, corn-husking, horse racing, playing cards, and attending fairs were also common past times.

Life in the Colonies Rights: 3) King James II tried to rule England without Parliament, he was overthrown without bloodshed (Glorious Revolution).

4) The next king was asked to sign an English Bill of Rights to help protect the rights of the people; All of these events help shape the rights of colonists.

Education: * New England Colonies-Had formal public schools (one room building, taught reading, religion, and math). *Middle Colonies-Each group (Catholics, Jews, Quakers) decided how to educate their own children. *Southern Colonies-Most did not receive and education; Wealthy people hired tutors.

Education Families: *Men outnumbered women; Usually were married in their 20’s. *Most had many children (Ben Franklin had 17 brothers and sisters!). *Nearly half of all children died before reaching adulthood. *Marriage after a spouse died was common.

Colonial Families Food: *Most colonists had some form of corn in their diet daily (ground cornmeal cooked into mush or cake was common). *Meat was eaten (deer, rabbits, birds); Smoked to keep it from rotting. *They ate fruit and cooked vegetables (because they thought eating them raw was unhealthy).